


Of Angels and Sinners

by snarkysweetness



Series: Mixology [2]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Canonical Character Death, Explicit Sexual Content, Multi, Post-Curse Storybrooke, Pregnancy, Storybrooke AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-24
Updated: 2013-12-24
Packaged: 2018-01-05 22:08:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 20,385
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1099158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snarkysweetness/pseuds/snarkysweetness
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After letting the town angel into his bed, Tristan has no intention of ever letting her go, but in a town like Storybrooke matters as simple as love never go smoothly, especially not with the savior in town and forces working to make sure she restores everyone’s memories. A Storybrooke AU & Sequel to Mixology.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Lessons Learned

**Author's Note:**

  * For [VictoriaSqualor](https://archiveofourown.org/users/VictoriaSqualor/gifts), [sevenxhells](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sevenxhells/gifts), [ladylionheart](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ladylionheart/gifts), [wandererjulia](https://archiveofourown.org/users/wandererjulia/gifts), [princessrorora](https://archiveofourown.org/users/princessrorora/gifts), [thestrangeladymalz](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thestrangeladymalz/gifts), [amyknope](https://archiveofourown.org/users/amyknope/gifts), [pristinely](https://archiveofourown.org/users/pristinely/gifts).



> It’s about time I wrote this sequel, I’ve been planning it in my head since I wrote the first installment. I dedicate this to Victoria because the original was a gift to her, to Sarah because she cries for more stocking porn, and to Juls who has spent nine months begging for this sequel. There’s even some Mad Beauty in this for Julie, Wooden Swan for Maggie, Ruby, Aurora, and Ashley friendship for Kristen, babies for Brookey, Captain Wolf brotp for Malz, Phillip and Graham for Cody, and MadFrankenHook for Kendyll. Basically, Merry Christmas to all of my babes (even the ones not mentioned-I couldn’t fit everything you all loved into one fic but I tried), this is for all of you and I love you all and am glad I found you all. I’m posting this all in one-go so you can all read at your leisure, enjoy dears.

_“These have no business being on,” Tristan growled as he brushed his scruff over her belly on his way down to her black, lace panties. She opened her mouth to snap that he should take them off when he took hold of them with his teeth. She hissed and resisted the urge to squirm beneath him as he slowly tugged them off, leaving a burning sensation along her thighs in his wake._

_A moan escaped her lips and she silently thanked the universe that he was far too stubborn to shave when instructed. The scruff was messy but sexy and it did wondrous things when drawn along her skin. She tugged against her restraints, the only tie he owned, and huffed in annoyance. She wanted to run her fingers through his hair and dig her nails into his back. She failed to understand the point in being tied up when she wanted her hands all over him._

_“These can stay on,” he whispered as he inspected her stockings. She thought they were childish, covered in birds, but the moment he’d seen them his eyes had gone dark, the way they usually did when they were alone, and well…here they were._

_“Why don’t you take this silly thing off as well? You’re not the only one who wants to have a bit of fun,” she pouted. He smirked and bit her lower lip playfully._

_“Now, now, my little bird, I have plans that involve you writhing beneath me for hours, begging for release. I can’t accomplish that with your hands free, you’ll cheat by touching yourself.”_

A blush crept along her neck and cheeks as she realized she’d spent the past five minutes in front of the refrigerated section of the grocers fantasizing about how she’d spent her morning instead of collecting the items she’d come for in the first place. It was a miracle she’d made it through her finals with as much time as she’d spent holed up in Tristan’s-well she supposed now it was _their_ -tiny apartment. She wasn’t even sure if she’d passed but she’d gone through the parade of graduation and moving out of her dorm and since she had no one else to go and no job prospects, well…

She smiled. She’d been indulging a whole new area of study.

“Yvie?”

Her smile was immediately replaced by a frown. She knew that voice and she reminded herself not to allow him to ruin her perfectly blissful mood. When she left here she had a man waiting at home for her who was actually worthy of her and he’d have to go home and live with himself.

She turned to find Felipe carrying a basket of ice cream and watching her with a pained expression on his face.

“Felipe.”

“I…” he cleared his throat. “Hello.”

She gave him a small nod and quickly grabbed for what she’d come for before pushing past him, eager to return to the flat.

“I’m sorry,” he called. She stopped and turned, too curious for her own good.

“For what?”

“The other night…I was drunk but I had no right to harass you that way. I…” he sighed. “You know how I get, I make stupid decisions and things have been rough with Jamie and I’ve always regretted the way I ended things with you and I just…can you forgive me?”

“No,” she replied flatly without bothering to register his words. “I don’t owe you anything, least of all my forgiveness. You’ve made your bed, it’s not my fault you’re incapable of sleeping in it.”

“I deserve that.”

She said nothing and turned to leave but he stopped her once more.

“She misses you. I know…look, you can hate me all you want, but she doesn’t deserve it.”

Yvaine scoffed. Her best friend had fucked her boyfriend repeatedly behind her back and then married him without a word. She deserved a lot more than hate, but luckily for her, Yvie didn’t care enough to devote that much effort into feeling anything for her.

“I have nothing more to say to you, so just go home. Can’t leave a pregnant woman waiting too long, she might begin to realize you’re probably off looking for a new victim to fuck and then dump.”

“How did you-“

“It’s a small town. Now bugger off.”

“Is there a problem?”

Yvaine turned to find the Sheriff watching his baby brother with a disapproving look on his face. She’d always liked him. He was the bastard brother, the cast-off, which mean he hadn’t inherited the douchey-ness that seemed to emanate from all of the other men in his family.

“Of course not, Graham, I was just about to check-out.”

“Good. Come, I’ll see you out.”

She didn’t bother to look back; she truly wanted nothing more to do with her old life. She wanted to keep moving forward. Things were finally good, for once, and she didn’t intend to muddy them up by worrying about things that were best left forgotten.

“Congratulations on finishing University,” Graham said once they were alone.

A blush returned to her cheeks and she smiled.

“Thank you; it’s not a big deal, really. It’s Storybrooke, it’s not like I went off to Harvard or anything. And it’s just a comparative literature and Theology degree; I can’t really do anything with either.” While she would always be indebted to the church for taking her in, raising her, and allowing her to get an education, she was far too tainted to live an abstinent life as a nun and no one ever really left Storybrooke. In fact the moment she’d completed school all of the plans she’d dreamt of and things she and Tristan had whispered about in the middle of the night while entangled in one another had just fallen from her mind. She couldn’t even remember most of it.

Before she could dwell on it Graham gave her shoulder a squeeze.

“It’s something. You’re a smart lass and you deserve better than Storybrooke, don’t ever let anyone tell you differently.”

He nudged her chin the way a big brother would before ruffling her hair.

“I should go. You tell me if anyone, and I don’t care who it is, bothers you, got it?”

“I will, tell Emma I said ‘hello’.”

She’d barely had time to see her new neighbors but she made a mental note to go by with a cake this weekend. She’d known Mary Margaret her entire life but she’d only met Emma once or twice. She was the only person Yvaine could remember ever coming to Storybrooke, let alone bothering to stay. She’d caught sight of Graham and his new Deputy kissing in the street last night and while she didn’t know Emma very well, she liked her well enough to approve. Graham deserved someone better than Regina. They both knew something about being with the wrong person.

He gave her a nod as she took her purchase and headed off in the opposite direction. She’d taken far longer than she intended and she hoped that Tristan wouldn’t be cross with her.

She jogged up to their loft and rushed inside.

“I’m sorry! I got distracted,” she called as she shrugged off her coat and moved into the bedroom.

“Aye, did you have to wear those,” he groaned as he caught sight of her black knee socks with tiny anchors on them. She rolled her eyes. He had the oddest fetishes. She kicked off her boots and crawled into bed with him.

“Where were you off too, my little lark? I missed you.”

“Well, I wanted a snack, darling.” She kissed his cheek before straddling his lap and pulling out her purchase.

“Oh, you are a wicked, wicked thing.”

She grinned as she shook the can and then proceeded to squirt a beautiful drawing of a bird on his abdomen with whipped cream. She dipped her finger into it before popping it into her mouth.

“Hmm, yes, this is just what I needed,” she teased before leaning down to lap up some more of her treat. He watched her with a smirk on his lips, entertained. She kissed her way up his chest before pressing her lips to his.

“Tasty; just like you. Now, tell me, little bird, how long do you plan to keep me imprisoned?” He motioned to her purple tights which were wrapped around his wrists, confining him to the bedpost. She grinned. After he’d tortured her this morning, she’d gotten her revenge by tying him up and leaving him there while she teased and tormented him before getting up and leaving without a word.

“Oh, until I feel like you’ve learned your lesson.”

“And what lesson is that?”

She shook her head and dipped her head down to finish her desert. It wasn’t long before he was crying out beneath her and they both knew full well she’d gotten her point across; anything he did to her she could do in return and better.

“Well, then,” he muttered as she plopped down next to him. “How about you untie me and I’ll show you what else we can do with that can.”

Yvie faked a yawn and turned onto her side before patting her pillow.

“Later, darling, I have things to do in the morning.”


	2. One Sweet Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A death rocks Storybrooke and brings our lovers closer together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yunno, I knew I shipped Aurora and Graham romantically, but the level of feels I have about them being bonded on a sibling level because of my Graham and Phillip as brothers headcanon is just a big surprise. I knew they existed, but not on this magnitude. They’d be the greatest bromance to ever bromance, ja feel? Basically, everyone falls in love with ‘Rora and if it’s not romantically, they just want to wrap her up in a blanket and protect her, yunno. Anyway, enjoy, lovelies.

Tears stung her cheeks. She wasn’t sure how she’d gotten home or who had wrapped her up in her mother’s old quilt, but Yvaine sat huddled in front of her old wood burning stove, cold as ice, too cried out to do anything but stare into the flames.

_It was late, far later than Yvie usually found herself out, but her job interview at Belle’s Book Nook had gone on for longer than expected. She’d gotten the job, almost on the spot, and then she and Belle began to catch up and before either of them knew it, it was dark out. They shared a small pie at the bakery next door before leaving one another on the street, each headed back to their respected homes: Yvie to the industrial loft and Belle to her small apartment over her shop._

_Yvie was excited to have the job. Not only did she want to make sure she contributed to the household equally (she’d been damn good at taking care of herself up until now and she planned to keep doing it) but it would be nice to have something to do. Belle had been trying for years to re-open the library and recently, out of the blue, Mr. Gold had pledged his support to help her do just that (Yvie suspected that the letch had his eye on Belle but her friend would never believe it). Since Belle would be busy with the hard work that would need to go into not only getting it open but keeping it running, Yvie would basically be running things, a challenge she was eager to take on._

_The sirens rang as she approached her building. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end as an ambulance and fire truck raced down the street, past her, and then…_

“She’s been like this for hours, I don’t know what to do…I’ve been trying to go back and forth but…”

“No, Emma needs you. Who’s with her now?”

“Ruby, not that she’s much help. We all loved him, but they’re taking it-“

“No, it’s understandable. Go. I’m home now.”

“I’m sorry I call-“

“No. Jefferson understands. It’s a Tuesday; he can handle the bar alone.”

She felt a hand on her shoulder; Mary Margaret. She wanted to say something, to thank her, but she suddenly became overwhelmed with emotion once more and the tears returned.

 _She ran, faster than she knew she was capable of. The moment she realized where they were headed, her feet began going on their own. The sinking feeling in her gut told her that this was bad and that she needed to be there. He was her family, whether anyone wanted to admit to it or not. And somehow, she knew it was him, she just_ knew _._

“Yvie, say something,” he whispered as he knelt in front of her and tucked her hair behind her ear. “You’re scaring-“ She threw her arms around him and began to sob once more, quietly.

_“Someone get her off of him, now!”_

_She wasn’t sure what she’d expected to do when she burst into the sheriff’s station but all she could do was freeze. Emma lay over Graham, desperately pushing her hands on his chest, sobbing, and screaming for him to breathe. It took both of the firemen to pry her away from him so Dr. Whale could move in and attempt to revive him._

_Yvie’s heart fell._

_“No,” she whispered. Graham was young, how could he be…_

_“I told you! He just…collapsed!” Emma was rambling. Despite her own pain, Yvaine knew she had to shove it away; Emma needed someone right now and being interrogated wasn’t going to help anything._

“Graham’s dead,” she whispered. She blinked and realized she was on the bathroom floor. She hazily recalled calling Mary Margaret so they could get Emma home. Once Whale declared that there was nothing to do, the deputy sheriff completely broke down. Yvaine had never seen anything more heartbreaking in her entire life and then…

The moment Emma was no longer her burden to carry; it was her turn to be crushed under the weight of her grief. She’d cried so hard she’d made herself sick.

The rest of the night was a blur. Mary Margaret must have gotten her home because here she was, with Tristan attending to her.

“I know, Mary Margaret called me…are you…you haven’t spoken in hours. You were sick…” Worry etched his features and she leaned forward to embrace him. She didn’t want to be the source of any pain for him, especially not when he clearly cared for her just as much as she cared for him.

“Thank you, for looking after me.”

“I’ll always be here to look after you,” he promised as he held her close. “Do you have the energy for a shower? Or a bath? We should get you cleaned up and put to bed. And if you can stomach food I can go next door. Mary Margaret refuses to leave Emma and Ruby’s bedside, so Granny is there, making breakfast.”

“What time is it?” Yvie interrupted.

“A little after five, I think? We’ve all lost track of time-“

“Whale…any word on what happened?”

Tristan pulled away and placed a hand on her cheek as he looked her over, as if trying to decipher whether she was ready to hear how her friend had died.

“It’s still early, but it looks like a heart attack,” he whispered.

“Bullshit! He was only in his thirties. Healthy men his age don’t just have heart attacks!”

A pained expression crossed his features.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“You tell me now!”

Tristan rubbed his face with a sigh.

“Emma’s been…look; she’s not in her right mind, okay? Apparently they were…well, it doesn’t matter, but she’s convinced Regina killed him somehow. Victor says it was the shock; he gave her a mild sedative. He says in the morning, after some sleep, she’ll be more clearheaded.”

Somehow, Yvaine didn’t think Emma was wrong.

“And Ruby?”

Yvaine wasn’t sure what had bonded Ruby and Graham, other than a mutual love for the forest that surrounded Storybrooke, but for as long as she could remember, the two of them had been as thick as thieves. If Emma, who had known him for only a few weeks, was in such a state over losing him then she couldn’t imagine how Ruby was faring. The two of them were friends; they didn’t always get on for Ruby was far more adventurous than she, so she felt a sting of guilt for allowing herself to lose herself in her grief when she was still needed elsewhere.

“She’s coping; I think she’s focusing on Emma to keep her mind off of it. Don’t worry; she has her Granny and Mary Margaret. Just let me take care of you, okay?”

She hesitated for a moment before nodding. Neglecting her own needs wouldn’t do anyone any good. She cleaned up, skipped breakfast, peeked in on her friends, and then allowed Tristan to tuck her into bed. She knew sleep would not come easy, it never had for her and when it did it was accompanied by nightmares, so she allowed Tristan to make a run to the pharmacy for something to help her sleep. It didn’t do much to curb her nightmares but she managed a few hours of a sleep that day.

_“I hate that it took a man’s death to get you to finally show her some respect,” Tristan hissed as Ruby downed another glass of Scotch. She rolled her eyes and motioned for Yvie to join them on the sofa._

_“Don’t you listen to him, love, I’ve always liked you. I just needed to push him to finally make a move. This one, let me tell you, has held a torch for year-“_

_“You’re drunk,” Tristan scolded as he took her glass._

_“Oh, shut up before I tell her about the time you screamed her name during-“_

_“RUBY!”_

_Yvaine’s cheeks burned. She knew all about their past and while it didn’t bother her, knowing that he really had stayed away from her ‘for her own good’ as he put it was a bit too much to handle. She wasn’t used to anyone truly desiring her, let alone putting her first._

_“There better be more where that came from.”_

_The trio looked up to find Emma leaning in the doorway, looking as though she were ready to fall over. She hadn’t been eating or sleeping and alcohol was probably the last thing she needed but Tristan poured her a glass anyway._

_“To Graham,” he toasted. Yvie met his eyes and her heart swelled. Graham had confided in her once that Tristan was the best man he’d ever met. People in this town treated him like a pariah. His father had been…well, they didn’t speak of him, but they all assumed he was a chip off the old block. The sheriff had never had a single issue with Tristan aside from a few bar fights that had begun only when Tristan was defending some poor girl from some drunk asshole. There wasn’t a violent bone in his body but he refused to allow men like his father to take advantage of anyone and Graham respected that. She could see now that it was a mutual respect. Her pseudo big brother and her lover weren’t friends but if Graham had lived, she liked to believe they could be._

_“To Graham,” she whispered, wondering how she was going to live in a world without him in it._

Yvaine sat with Emma in the final row, they were the cast-offs. Felipe’s mother, Leah, the old hag, had tried to forbid her from attending altogether. Whether that old bitch liked it or not, Graham was more her family than he was theirs, and it was might rich of her to suddenly pretend as if he mattered. She’d spent his entire life reminding him that he was nothing more than a bastard, a painful reminder that her husband couldn’t keep it in his pants.

Then there was Regina…

She didn’t even want to think about her.

Their presence being ‘inappropriate’ was the most…

She sighed. Regina wasn’t worth her anger.

Yvie gave Emma’s hand a small squeeze. Emma glanced up and gave her a sad smile. They were in this together. Graham was the brother she’d always wanted and he’d loved Emma and Emma had loved him and to hell with everyone else.

Besides, she didn’t want to sit there and make pleasantries with his ‘family’. She was here to say good-bye to him, just like Emma was.

Yvie caught sight of Felipe, who turned his head at that very moment. His eyes were red and she swallowed hard. Despite their differences, he’d always loved his brother, bastard or not. She gave him a small nod, to let him know she felt his pain.

She turned her attention to Hubert, who sat stone-faced at his son’s side. She recalled a time when her family and his were united and her heart ached.

_“I declare thee knighted!” Yvaine tapped both Graham and Felipe on the shoulders with a stick, her make-shift sword. Graham was far too old to be playing these games, but they amused her, and he loved her more than he loved his entire family put together._

_“My, lady!” Felipe declared as he reached for her hand. “May I have this dance!”_

_“I do believe the eldest brother gets once first,” she huffed._

_“Yvaine, don’t be silly. Graham isn’t Felipe’s brother, he’s simply his father’s son, and his existence is disrespectful.”_

_Yvaine huffed and opened her mouth to tell her off. She was only seven but she already had a mouth on her._

_“Oh, Leah, must you speak to the boy this way?” Yvaine felt pride course through her. Her mother was a ray of sunlight in the darkest day. She was the most majestic creature to walk this earth._

_“Talia, if you like the boy so much, why don’t you take him home with you?” She snapped._

_Talia rolled her eyes and watched as her husband’s best friend’s wife left the room before kneeling in front of Graham._

_“You’re worth a hundred of her, darling. None of this is your fault; do not let her jealousy and pettiness taint your good heart.”_

Her mother had always wanted a son and sometimes, when Yvaine fantasized what her life would have been like had her parents not died in that terrible accident, only days later, that they would have whisked Graham away from his father and his jealous wife and taken him in as her own and she would have had him with her always. There had been a time when she thought Felipe was the love of her life but the love she’d felt for him paled in comparison to how much she’d love Graham. After her parent’s deaths he and the nuns were the only family she had left.

Her father’s best friend forgot her existence until his son, her childhood friend, had begun to court her, but Graham, he’d never forgotten.

“Tristan? I’m home,” she called as she dumped her things on the couch. She was usually far more orderly but she was beat. She’d deposited Emma off across the hall after Emma insisted that she wanted to be alone. Mary Margaret, Ruby, and Belle had been welcome at the wake and as much as she didn’t want to be alone, there was nowhere else in town to go without being reminded that she wasn’t welcome anywhere today.

One asshole broke your heart and suddenly your entire existence became inappropriate.

She hoped Tristan was home, she was always welcome with him.

“Up here, love,” he called from the overhead loft.

Yvaine climbed the stairs and found him fiddling with his guitar. After she’d moved in with the very few possessions she owned he’d made sure to make her feel at home. The loft had been where he’d always worked on his music but he’d rearranged things so she had a small corner with an armchair and table where she could watch him or do her reading. And downstairs he’d given her most of the small living space and built shelves for her books.

“What’s wrong? I mean…I know…come here.” He held his hand out for her and she took it, feeling silly, She didn’t know why she was crying, it had nothing to do with Graham this time, it was just…Tristan. He was wonderful and she wasn’t sure she deserved it. She was just some orphan girl; she had nothing to offer him but her heart. And she found herself saying as much as he pulled her into his lap.

“That’s all I need,” he whispered into her hair as she clutched him against her.

“Stop.” She couldn’t handle him being this nice, it would hurt more when he left her. Everyone she loved left her; her parents, Felipe, even Graham. She wasn’t meant to be happy.

“No.”

Tristan pulled away and brushed her wet cheek with his thumb.

“I’m not going to stop showing you how much I love you because some asshole didn’t know a good thing when he had it. He may have treated you like shit but I will never do that. You’re a treasure and I intent to cherish you and eventually, you’re going to learn to let me love you properly.”

She blinked in surprise.

“You love me?”

He cupped her cheek with both hands.

“Of course I do,” he replied as he leaned in to claim her lips with his own.

“Why,” she asked, before their lips could make contact. He rested his forehead against hers and pressed a kiss to the tip of her nose.

“Because, to me you are perfect.”

She wasn’t sure what broke her; that he meant it or that she believed him. She pressed a wet kiss to his lips as tears began to spill.

“I love you, too,” she whispered. She didn’t care if it was too soon for this; it was too early for them to be living together, and they’d slept together far too quickly, but fuck everyone else, as Ruby would say. He’d loved her from afar for years and she loved easily and there was nothing wrong with that. She’d rather love easily than not be capable of love at all.

Tristan deepened the kiss and she wrapped herself around him. She broke the kiss moments later and met his eyes.

“Make love to me,” she commanded. She didn’t want to go back to grieving. Graham had reminded her that her time could come at any time. She didn’t want to go on not living. So much of her life had been spent being sheltered and protected and she realized now that she’d wasted it. She didn’t want to waste it anymore. She wanted to feel joy and to cherish every moment and to enjoy her life because once it was over, she wouldn’t get another chance at it.

“As you wish.” Tristan tucked one arm underneath her knees before lifting her into his arms. He stood and moved to the small armchair and she shook her head.

“No, I don’t want you to fuck me, we’ve done plenty of that,” she took hold of his collar to make sure she had his full attention. “I want you to take me to bed and make love to me.” There was a difference. She’d had sex plenty of times and while there had been real feelings involved, it was nothing more than fucking. She wanted him to show her how much he loved her through his actions, just once. No sex games, no power plays, just the two of them succumbing to their love for one another.

She didn’t have to speak another word, he understood. She didn’t want to know if he’d made love to another woman, it didn’t matter to her, but she wanted him to know that no one had ever bothered to make love to her, so he would grasp the importance of her request.

“I’ve never,” she began.

“Me either.”

“Even with all of your lovers,” she inquired, teasingly.

“None of them were you.”

And it wasn’t even a line, which made her love him more.

Yvaine pulled his face to hers and kissed him with every ounce of love she could muster as he laid her back on the mattress.

Tristan took his time, something he’d done before, but this time it was different. There was no frenzy, nothing new to explore. He retraced all of the places he’d been dozens of time but this time he tread over them with a care she’d never felt before.

She was a goddess laid upon an alter and his mouth was the tool in which he used to worship her.

“Tristan…please,” she begged when she could not take his torment any longer. She felt ready to explode. Every time she felt herself nearing release he would pull away and press his lips to hers and whisper how he loved her, until she forgot all about needing an orgasm, and then his hands and lips would start their adulation all over again.

She needed him inside of her, he’d more than proved his love to her, and she was eager to show him how much she loved him in return, but first she needed to come. To hell with romance, he could fuck her like a common whore at this point and she’d consider their deal fulfilled.

“No, you wanted me to make love to you, remember?” He pressed his lips to her neck and she moaned as her arms went around his shoulders.

“Yes, but you can finish, darling. This has been brilliant, but-“

He pressed his lips to hers and she let out a muffled cry of annoyance into his mouth. She was never going to deny him another orgasm in his life, this was pure torture. Tristan moved his lips to her breasts and she arched her back for more contact. She cried out in relief as he kissed his way down her belly and then between her thighs.

She was ready to weep for joy by the time his mouth made contact with her dripping wet cunt. He’d touched every inch of her except the one place she needed him most and his tongue was heavenly, which she made evident by tainting the lord’s name in a filthy prayer. She was glad the nuns could not see her take the lord’s name in such vanity, for they would surely condemn her to hell right this moment.

It was a good thing the church believed in forgiveness, because she was going to need it after tonight.

“I love you,” Yvaine cried as she came, close to sobbing from relief. She felt tears on her cheeks and brushed them away. She’d been crying for days, at this point they were nothing more than a nuisance.

Tristan moved atop her and pressed his weight on her as he kissed away the few tears on her face. He ran a hand through her hair before kissing her once more.

“I love you…I don’t think I’ve ever loved anyone else in my entire life.”

“Don’t say that.” Surely he had loved someone.

“I never knew my mother, my father didn’t deserve love, and I’ve never been with a woman long enough. I’ve spent my life pushing away anyone who could ever love me, until you came along, my stubborn little lark.”

She smiled and leaned up to press her mouth to his.

“Well, as happy as I am to be your first, let’s get you to finding some friends when we’re done here,” she teased. Sure, he had the mysterious Jefferson who seldom left his mansion, his drinking buddies Whale and Ruby, but he needed to branch out some more. She couldn’t be the only thing he loved in this entire world. She hoped that allowing him to open his heart would lead to him finding other people to open up to, so everyone could see what an amazing man he was and love him too.

“Speaking of,” he whispered as he kissed her once more. She smirked against his lips and sat up, pushing on his chest until he was on his back and she was on top. She was done being made love to, now it was her turn.

Three hours, two orgasms, and one blowjob later, Yvaine lay on her back, trying to remember how to breathe.

“That was…” she began.

“We should not fuck more often,” he finished. She glanced over to find him watching her with a sly grin and she slapped his chest playfully.

“Don’t make fun of me.”

“I would never,” he pulled her onto his chest and covered her face with kisses. She chuckled and squirmed in his arms until he stopped. She kissed him quickly before resting her elbows on his chest and watching him for a moment.

“I really do love you, you know.”

“Oh, I think we’ve established that.” He toyed with her hair for a moment. “And I love you, too,” he added.

“Really? I had no clue,” she replied with a smile. Tristan placed a hand on the back of her neck and pulled her close.

She couldn’t even muster the energy to feel guilty for being so happy in this moment. To hell with mourning, Graham would want her to feel joy not pain.

“I thought I heard you two having a good time in here earlier. Now, as you can clearly see, Felipe, dear, the lady is currently engaged in activities that are far better than conversing with you.”

Yvaine almost fell out of bed in her scramble to cover herself up as quickly as possible. When she looked up Felipe was nowhere to be seen but Ruby stood in the doorway with a smirk on her face.

“Sorry, he wouldn’t leave and the door was unlocked. I must say, though, this building has excellent sound-proofing, I only came in because he’d been out there for fifteen minutes and showed no signs of leaving but…nice. I’ll leave you kids to it, then. Just remember to lock this next time.” She gave them a wink before locking the door from the inside and disappearing out the door. The door clicked shut and she covered her face in embarrassment.

“Think he’ll finally get the hint,” Tristan asked and she buried her face in his neck and began laughing uncontrollably.

“If he doesn’t, then there’s no hope for him,” she said finally, through tears. She hiccupped and fought off more laughter. She was more amused by the moment of shock and then appreciation on Ruby’s face than by any embarrassment her ex-boyfriend may have felt. It served him right to see her happy and moving on with someone who was worthy of her.

“I’m going to get dressed and grab something at the diner, I don’t know about you, but I’m famished.”

Yvaine snuggled under the covers with a small yawn.

“Yes, French fries and a grilled cheese sound amazing.”

He kissed her quickly as he threw on his jacket.

“I’ll be right back; don’t miss me too much while I’m gone.”

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes and closed her eyes with a contented sigh. For the first time in a long time, she believed things were going to be alright.


	3. Second Chances

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone begins to move on with their lives and our wonderful, perfect heroine that means spending lots of time with her girlfriends while continuing to get it on the regular from our hot bartender.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> L A D I E S. That is all.

Yvaine stocked a new bodice ripper novel from some local writer that was sure to be gone by the time Monday rolled around. All of the poor, lonely housewives of Storybrooke (and the nuns, she suspected) would rush in to clean them out so they could have a small escape from their boring lives and husbands.

She didn’t judge them, she just felt…well, sorry for them. Storybrooke was a dreary town and she couldn’t blame them for wanting to spice things up, but the fact that they had to resort to bad pornography made her sad. She’d tried to read some, out of boredom, but they’d left her in a fit of tears from laughter.

They were all throbbing, heated flesh and men putting _it_ right _there_.

Yvie rolled her eyes and wished everyone in this small town could experience just a fraction of the amazing sex she got to have every single night. She was sure eventually it would become a few times a week, but for now she was enjoying this ‘honeymoon’ phase. She couldn’t get enough of Tristan and he couldn’t get enough of her and it wasn’t like there was much else to do in this town.

“Do we have room on the shelves? I have another box,” Belle huffed as she plopped a heavy box on the counter.

“Sure, I’ll find a place for them. How’s the library proposal coming?”

Belle rolled her eyes.

“Gold is so creepy, but that rich fellow who owns The Rabbit Hole, he’s also contributing, so at least I have someone there to save me from his leering.”

Yvie chuckled.

“That’s Jefferson, he’s…I think he’s just shy.”

“Well, whatever he is, I’m just glad I don’t have to spend anymore alone time with old man Gold.”

Yvie enjoyed working the shop on her own, it was calming and gave her something to do all day, but it was much more enjoyable when Belle was around. She missed her college friends, who she never seemed to see anymore, but reconnecting with her old friends was amazing. She had forgotten what it was like to not have her entire world revolve around her studies and with the addition of Emma; they had a very nice group of girlfriends who got together every Friday night.

Speaking of which…

“Come on, you can finish these tomorrow, I need a drink. And grab one of those.”

_“Here’s to our new sheriff!” Mary Margaret announced as Whale popped a champagne bottle._

_“Here! Here!” They all cried. Emma’s mini-campaign team had gathered to celebrate their friend’s win and beating Regina. Yvie didn’t know about the rest of them, but she felt safer knowing someone who wouldn’t bow down to Regina’s will was in charge around here._

_“Where’s Granny?” Emma asked as she finished off her glass._

_“Babysitting,” Ashley replied as she took a drink. Emma narrowed her eyes as Belle took away Ashley’s glass with a frown._

_“Maybe slow down on the drinking-“_

_“Maybe wait until you’re legal.”_

_Ashley rolled her eyes._

_“Do you think they’d notice if we slipped away for a quickie?” Tristan whispered into her ear as he moved his hand to her ass. She frowned for a moment before she realized they probably wouldn’t be missed._

_“Slip out and in ten seconds I’ll follow,” she replied in a quiet voice. Tristan smirked and she rolled her eyes. He could be a downright cocky shit sometimes. She watched him rise and cocked her head to the side so she could admire his ass._

_“Thank you, Jesus,” she muttered before standing._

_“Let’s make a toast,” Emma announced. Yvie froze as Emma’s eyes settled on her. She gave her friend a smile and reached for her glass as did the others. Adventurous public sex time would have to wait for another day. Tristan pouted and Yvie glanced down into her glass to keep from laughing._

_“To Graham.”_

_The raised their glasses._

_“To Graham,” she whispered._

“Oh, no, this is even worse. _‘Heat pooled in her center as he touched her_ there _. She gasped lowly, the feel of him intimately pressed against her too much for her to handle._ ’” Emma scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Pretty sure if you can’t say the words ‘cock’ and ‘cunt’ you shouldn’t be having sex.”

“Emma!” Mary Margaret’s face turned red and Ruby almost choked on her drink.

“I think we know who has a pile of these hidden under bed,” Ruby teased.

“Oh, hush, Ruby!”

“Come on, Mary Margaret, Yvie and I are the youngest ones here and even we’ve had more interesting sex than this drivel,” Ashley said as she picked it up and inspected the cover.

“I’ve had…I just don’t think the ‘c-word’ is appropriate is all.”

“Oh, it’s a body part, get over it,” Emma told her roommate as she opened another bottle of tequila. The girls lay sprawled around Mary Margaret’s apartment. Yvie hung off the sofa, reading one of Mary Margaret’s Cosmo’s while rolling her eyes. She didn’t care what her friend said; she needed a good orgasm pronto. Hadn’t she had sex with Whale? According to Ruby he was great in bed; maybe Mary Margaret was just too frigid to enjoy it.

“Maybe if you let someone lick your cunt you’d be less uptight about it,” Ruby suggested.

“Oh my God! I hate all of you!”

“You’re being very quiet over there Miss French, what gives? Don’t want to tell us all about the kinky librarian sex you’ve gotten up to?” Ashley teased.

Belle glared but a blush rose to her cheeks. Yvie shot up and nearly fell to the floor.

“Oh my, you’ve got yourself a slam piece, don’t you?” Ruby asked before Yvie could open her mouth. She threw a pillow in her direction and then dodged it when it came flying back at her.

Belle sighed and plopped down in the armchair.

“No, it’s just…well…I don’t know, that Jefferson fellow, he’s rather…attractive and he’s sweet. Gold really creeps me out and he walks me home and…” She whined and covered her face.

“What?” Yvie asked.

“No, it’s embarrassing.”

“Mary Margaret had sex with Whale, I don’t think it gets more embarrassing than that,” Emma reminded her.

“I’m still here!”

“Oh, Mary Margaret, who hasn’t had sex with Whale?”

“Me!” Everyone but Mary Margaret and Ruby shouted. Mary Margaret shot Ruby a glare and she shrugged.

“He was on my to-do list.”

“Excuse me, I want to hear about Belle and the reclusive millionaire who owns the other half of town that Gold doesn’t,” Ashley snapped.

Belle uncovered her face and sighed.

“Okay, so he walked me to my door and this has been going on for a while and he gave me the look, you know, the ‘I’m about to kiss you’ look and I might have jumped the gun and tried to make the first move and-“

“Oh, sweetie,” Yvie reached over to pat her hand.

“I haven’t seen him since. I read the signals wrong and he’s already shy and I scared him off.”

“Don’t worry, if the boy is smart, he’ll be back and you’ll get a second chance to rock his world,” Ashley assured with a wink. Belle snatched the book from her hands and opened it to a random page.

“Where were we?” She asked, wanting to talk about anything other than her failed love life.

_“So, who’s the hot, bearded man?” Yvaine asked from the counter at Granny’s. Ruby licked her lips and shrugged._

_“No clue, but I think Emma has dibs.”_

_Yvie rolled her eyes. She doubted Emma had any room for a man in her life right now._

_“Does that mean you’re not going to try to make him your next victim-ow!”_

_She rubbed the place on her arm that Ruby felt the need to pinch with a wince._

_“Unless she tells me ‘no’ I have no reason not to.”_

_Yvie had never rolled her eyes harder in her life._

“Welcome to Belle’s Book Nook, anything I can help you find?” She glanced up to find the new stranger in town entering the shop. August…something. He seemed like a nice enough fellow. She’d seen him around Granny’s, helping her with things, or writing in a booth.

Booth, that was it. August Booth.

“I’m looking for a book of fairytales. Henry lost his during the storm and I thought a new one would cheer him up.”

“Well, that is very kind of you. Come, we have an entire section. Nothing as nice as the one he had, but in a pinch.”

This is what Yvie loved about the store, an hour later she stood at the register talking shop with August. He was extremely well-read and intelligent and she couldn’t wait for Belle to meet him. Maybe she could finally get that book club off the ground.  And what a sweetheart. What other man would buy something to cheer up a child he barely knew? She hated to think it, but she hoped Ruby was right about Emma having dibs. If she could pick someone to set her friend up with it would be this handsome new man in town.

At the very least, it would be nice for them to be friendly. Emma didn’t make friends easily and it was a miracle she’d joined their little group. A few more wouldn’t kill her and they were both the only strangers to ever come to Storybrooke. It occurred to her that they probably had amazing stories about life outside of this town. She made a mental note to grill them about it later.

“Thanks for the help, I hope these keep him entertained until his is found.”

Yvie frowned.

“It’s probably destroyed.”

“True, but it doesn’t hurt to have faith. Good-bye.”

She gave him a small wave before returning to the inventory she’d been working on before he’d come in. They only opened for a few hours on Saturday so she could catch up on the paperwork Belle didn’t have to do herself. The chime over the door jingled, surprising her. Two customers in one day? It was a miracle.

“Welcome to-oh.”

“Yvie.”

Jamie stood in the middle of the shop awkwardly, clutching her bag.

“I thought Belle was working today.”

“She wasn’t feeling well so I came in instead.”

The tension in the air was thick she could cut it with the awkward balloon floating between them. Had Jamie come in today so she could avoid coming in while she was working?

“I um…Belle has an order on hold for me. I just need to pick it up.”

“Right.” Yvaine was glad to have a reason to disappear into the back. As much as she wished she could hate her the sad truth was that she missed her friend. She’d been the first person she’d allowed herself to trust after being sent to the orphanage and she was the one who had betrayed her. It didn’t matter how much she missed her, she wasn’t stupid enough to forgive her. That was her one sin to bear; she wasn’t pious enough to grant her forgiveness.

She picked up the stack of pre-paid books with Jamie’s name on it and her heart sank; pregnancy books. Right, she supposed it was becoming clearer every day. Her once athletic friend was rounder in the face and her coats were large and there was a certain glow about her.

So…it was really true, wasn’t it?

She took a deep breath before putting on the brave face Mother Superior had taught her to have and emerged from the back room.

“Here you go, that should be everything,” she said as she bagged them and handed them over.

Jamie took the bag and watched her sadly for a moment.

“Look, Yvie, I-“

“Hey, babe, ready to go? I picked up groceries to make di-oh, hello Jamie.” Tristan stood in the doorway awkwardly for a moment. “I’ll be next door, love. I promised Emma I would grab her some pastries for the station on my way back, she’s working on that case.”

“Of course, I’ll be right out.”

Regina didn’t need to know they helped Emma from time to time. First it was hiding the Zimmer twins, then some missing puppies, and now with Kathryn. Though, she wasn’t sure making pastry runs and peaking in on her at the station to deliver food while Mary Margaret was at work counted, but with Regina, who knew.

“I should go. Thank you.”

“It’s my job,” Yvaine said as she watched her go. She sighed once she was alone and wondered if someday, she would truly no longer care or be hurt by her past.

_“Are you okay?” He’d asked her that at least five times since they’d returned home and as much as she loved him, she wasn’t in the mood._

_“I’m fine,” she muttered as she hugged her pillow. He wrapped his arms around her and pressed a kiss to her shoulder._

_“Are you sure? I know seeing-“_

_“I’m fine,” she snapped._

_He hesitated for a moment before speaking again._

_“Do you want to-“_

_“Not tonight. We have church in the morning. I’d like to have one less thing to confess to.”_

_“You know, you used to like the whole sinning before church thing.”_

_She said nothing and he sighed before turning off the lights. That night was the first night they didn’t make love._

Yvie wondered if she’d been too hard on Tristan. It wasn’t his fault she was hurt and insecure. She’d just needed to cry herself to sleep without him there trying to make it better. The one thing she missed about living on her own was being able to wallow in peace.

Alexandra grabbed Yvie’s nose with her chubby fist and Yvie smiled. It was impossible to be upset with such a beautiful face watching her.

“She’s perfect, Ashley,” Yvie called as she bounced the baby in her lap. She watched the baby’s eyes look around the room in wonder and her heart ached. She realized she hadn’t been angry because Jamie was having Felipe’s baby, she’d been angry because she had what Yvie had always wanted; a family. She’d told Tristan one night at the bar, not so long ago, that she wanted to be a mother, so she could have the family she’d been denied and she’d meant it.

The idea of having a child terrified her, she had no clue how to be a mother but as she held little Alexandra, she realized it was what she wanted more than anything. She wondered if Tristan wanted one, it would break her heart if he didn’t.

She held the baby against her chest and pressed a kiss to the top of her head as she hummed a lullaby she recalled from her childhood.

_“I hope you’re pregnant now,” Tristan muttered as he pressed a kiss to her stomach. Yvie wanted to cover her face in embarrassment. Bringing up children this early in the relationship was bad enough but did he have to be such a moron about it?_

_“Oh, hush.”_

_“No, I mean it; I knew it was something you wanted before I took you to bed and if I was going to knock anyone up, I’d want it to be you.”_

_She shook her head._

_“You’re an idiot.”_

“Shh, I don’t want to wake her.”

Yvie stood hidden on the staircase awkwardly. She didn’t want to make herself known but watching them stung her. How could she betray Graham in such a way? Sure, she’d enjoyed watching Emma and August becoming friends, they were very similar and got along and he got on well with Henry but this…

“Next time, we can stay at my place,” he whispered before pulling her in for a kiss. Emma smirked and shoved him out the door.

“So the entire town can find out about us? I don’t think so. I have my kid to think about-“

He kissed her once more and Yvie averted her eyes.

What right did she have to judge Emma? She and Graham had barely been an item and from what she’d just seen, she was happy. She couldn’t remember ever seeing her happy. Everyone deserved a bit of happiness and it was what he’d want for her. She stayed hidden until the coast was clear and then rushed to her apartment. If they wanted to be kept a secret, she’d keep their secret. It was none of her business what they got up to.

“I brought muffi-“ Tristan cut her off with a kiss. She wasn’t sure where he’d come from but she could feel him already hard and pressed against her thigh. She was glad she was already a morning person because he was always up for a go first thing.

She returned the kiss and let their breakfast fall to the floor. The bag would keep it safe; she would worry about it later. She wrapped her arms around him as he lifted her into his arms and carried her to the bedroom.

“Leave those stockings on and climb on up,” he muttered as he plopped her down before digging around in the side table drawer. Once he found the last condom (was it really time for another run already?) he lay back on the mattress and threw it on.

“Shit,” Yvie muttered as images of the night of Graham’s funeral played through her mind. She couldn’t, for the life of her, recall them bothering to be safe. She took a deep breath and told herself not to freak out.

“Babe, it’s not going to fuck itse-“

“Shut up.”

He watched her for a moment and she took another few deep breaths.

“Remember the other night, when I asked you how you felt about having a family?” She asked hesitantly.

“Yes?”

“Did you mean it? I mean…if something happened and we-“

Tristan reached up and cupped her cheek.

“Are you trying to tell me something?”

Was she? Sure, they’d forgotten but was it really the first time? And she’d started the pill once it became clear they would not stop going at it like rabbits.

No, she was just being silly and worrying for nothing. She was so used to things going wrong…and besides, if she was pregnant, she’d know by now. There was no sense in worrying over nothing, especially not when they were in the middle of something.

“No, I’m sorry; I just…forget I said anything.”

“Are you sure?”

She nodded and leaned down to kiss him.

“Now, where were we,” she asked as she lowered herself onto him and abandoned all thought.  
 


	4. Positive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ashley’s bachelorette party prompts a few hook-ups and makes Yvie realize she done fucked up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sarah’s going to be crying soon and this pleases me.

“What is Ruby up to?”

“I have no clue,” Jefferson answered as he chewed the tip of a cocktail pick. Tonight was Ashley’s bachelorette party and since the girls were all out on the town, or rather, Jefferson’s bar, Whale was here hanging out with his two best buddies, Tristan and Jefferson, while they worked. Of course, the combination of Ruby and Whale and alcohol was never a good one.

“My God, I have never in my life seen someone’s tongue shoved that far down another person’s throat.”

Yvie hated to admit it, but she was impressed.

“I thought she was dating Billy?” Tristan commented as he placed a tray of drinks down in front of Belle.

“She dumped him; said he was too clingy,” Belle replied.

Tristan rolled his eyes.

“Sounds like our Ruby. Oh, that didn’t take long,” he commented as the pair slipped out of the bar. “I hope they use protection,” he muttered and Yvie felt her cheeks turn red. Her fears still plagued her mind and her decision to be the sober one this evening only continued to remind her of the fact that at any point in time, she could find herself pregnant.

“I’ll take these,” Jefferson stammered as Belle made a grab for their drinks. Belle smiled and watched as he lifted the tray.

“Thank you, Jefferson.”

They disappeared and she chuckled. She’d never seen Jefferson so shy before. When Belle greeted Jefferson upon their arrival, Yvie could have sworn that he was about to faint. Not many had a chance to interact with him, he was happy to hide in his office or house, but she was very fond of him.

“No more drinks for Ashley or Mary Margaret. I know the carding policy here is lenient but she is too young and look at Mary Margaret, she’s basically passed out,” Yvaine scolded.

“Can you blame her? Then entire town’s treating her like a tramp, even Granny. I don’t deny she made a mistake but I don’t see anyone harassing David.”

Yvie had to agree. Sure, his wife was missing, but even before then, no one had blamed him. Storybrooke was filled with disgusting misogynists.

“I promise, no more for those two,” he whispered as he kissed the top of her head. “I need to go to the back to restock the tequila.”

She waved him off and sighed. She glanced over to find poor Mary Margaret asleep on one of the booths and Ashley happily dancing by herself near the jukebox. She had no clue where Emma was but Jefferson and Belle were engrossed in conversation and she decided to leave them to it for a few minutes. They both deserved someone and while she would never actually play cupid, she wouldn’t stand in his way either.

Yvie slipped out through the back entrance for some air. She hated bars, they were cramped and dark and loud and the air was thick and she sighed. Tristan was never going to stop working Jefferson’s bar, so she knew she had to get used to it. At least The Rabbit Hole wasn’t some seedy, hole-in-the-wall, decrepit place like The Black Cauldron; Yvie would rather die a death by fire then step foot in that portal to hell.

She inhaled the cold night air and closed her eyes, allowing herself to enjoy the quiet. A moment later she realized she was not alone when she heard kissing coming from the alley. She sighed and opened her eyes, prepared to tell Ruby and Victor off; didn’t he have a house or something? Fucking in an alley was low, even for him.

“I’ll come to your room later, I promise.”

That wasn’t Ruby.

“Good, because I’ll miss you.”

And that _definitely_ wasn’t the good doctor.

A blush crept onto her cheeks and she wondered why it was always her happening upon her friends in compromising situations.

“Let me just make an appearance and then-“ Yvie didn’t have to see them to know that they were kissing again. She smirked and re-entered the bar, wanting to give them their privacy. She was sure once Emma was ready, they’d tell people. She understood why someone in her situation would want to keep a romance hidden. The whole Regina issue aside, Emma’s life hadn’t exactly been conducive to healthy relationships. Yvie had made horrible choices in regards to Felipe because she needed to be loved by someone and he was all that she could cling to of her past aside from Graham. She couldn’t imagine what it was like for Emma, having grown up with the knowledge that her parents had abandoned her and then going through the foster system. Yvie at least had the nuns; she couldn’t imagine having no family. It broke her heart to think of poor young Emma on her own.

“Where’s Jefferson?” She asked upon finding Belle alone at the bar with a glass of water.

“Calling a cab,” she motioned to the bathroom where the sound of retching emerged. Yvie made a face.

“Should one of us check on her?”

“No, she’s fine, now, the other one…”

Yvie sighed as Emma entered the bar. She took one look around and sighed.

“Those two don’t know how to party. I’m glad no strippers were involved,” she muttered.

“Come on, let’s get Mary Margaret home. I think Belle and Jefferson can get Ashley home…”

“Who?”

_“Tell me, princess, has your prince ever kissed you the way a woman deserves to be kissed?”_

_She held her breath. She wanted to tell herself it was in defiance or stubbornness but really she was terrified. Terrified of this pirate who had killed men for nothing more than his amusement, for her virtue, and because she knew, deep down, that she enjoyed watching how dark his eyes were, as if he were ready to consume her. Princesses weren’t supposed to fall in love with pirates, but here she was, daring him to show her what it meant to feel._

_But he didn’t, instead he gave her one of his insufferable smirks, igniting a fire of anger in her chest._

_“I don’t know; how about we find out.”_

_She knew this was a trick of his, to get her to make the first move, but his first mistake upon their meeting had been underestimating her, a mistake he continued to make, because she didn’t care. She pulled him down by the scruff of the neck and kissed him firmly._

“Yvie? Love, you’re crying,” Tristan whispered. She blinked herself awake as she tasted her tears. She hurriedly wiped at them, already forgetting her dream. She didn’t remember much, only that Tristan was there and she felt an incredible sadness.

“I must have been dreaming,” she whispered as she registered the look of worry on his features.

He leaned down and pressed his lips to her forehead.

“I was worried, I tried shaking you, but you wouldn’t wake.”

She placed a hand on his cheek as he nuzzled her neck.

“I’m awake now and I’m fine but I love you for your conc-“ She shot up and covered her mouth. He examined her but she didn’t have time for him. She shoved him out of the way as she rushed to the loo. She made it to the toilet just in time and emptied everything she’d eaten the night before. Tristan knelt beside her and held her hair back as she vomited and cried and then vomited again. She hated vomiting more than anything. Her entire body would break out in a sweat; she’d struggle to breath, and the smell…

She rested her head against the cool tiles of the floor as Tristan placed a cool rag to the back of her neck. She wanted to cry because she loved him so much and also because she could feel she wasn’t done being sick yet.

“How are you hungover? I don’t remember pouring you any drinks last night…I’m going to kill Ruby, she brought moonshine in that flask of hers, didn’t she? I told her I didn’t want any sick bridesmaids and one passed out, the other was a train wreck, and now-“

“I didn’t drink a thing,” Yvie insisted, telling the truth. She sat up and wiped her mouth as he pulled her against his chest and she laughed.

“What?”

“The night before we first…I got sick then too.”

He shook his head and pressed his lips to her temple.

“I’m taking you to see Victor; you probably have a stomach bug or something. Something from Granny’s maybe or Ashley’s baby…” he prattled on but she tuned him out. She wasn’t sick, she knew exactly what was wrong with her, and she didn’t need Victor knowing about it, not yet.

_“Never tasted rum before, have we, princess?”_

_He took the bottle from her hands and she swiped at him, wanting it back. He chuckled until she stumbled and he helped her back to her feet._

_“If you’re trying to find your courage, there are better ways-“_

_She pressed her lips and body against him._

_“Then show me-“_

_“Now when you’re incapable of making decisions, love.”_

_She huffed and stormed into the trees. He followed with a sigh and she ignored him. Her blood boiled, the way it did most days. He brought something out in her. Something dark and dangerous and angry. He’d made her realize that she’d led a sheltered life. She was a princess, she was meant to wear pretty dresses and bear children and do nothing with her life._

_“I will have you know that I seek no courage,_ pirate _,” she hissed. “I do not fear Maleficent, it is she who should fear me, for I possess something she will never have; a heart. I will gladly die for my people. I am their queen and-“ she hiccupped. “I am not some silly girl!”_

_She’d forgotten what she was saying but she did remember that his initial impression of her still infuriated her to no end._

_He leaned against a tree with a smirk._

_“No, you’re something else entirely, my little bird.”_

“Sparrow?”

She sat in shock, staring at a crack in the floor. Had it always been there? She couldn’t start a family in a house with cracks in the foundation. No, she’d call the landlord straight away and-

“Lark.”

“What?”

“You always call me your little lark, where did sparrow come from?” She glanced up to find him watching her with a dumfounded expression.

“I don’t…I think I must have dreamt it. Are you…did something happen?”

_“Let’s go.”_

_“Where?”_

_“Anywhere. Let’s leave Storybrooke and just drive. Go on adventures, just…live.”_

_Yvie sighed as she pulled the covers over her naked body but he wasn’t dropping this. He pulled her against his chest and pressed a kiss to her shoulder._

_“I mean it; I want to show you the world.”_

They were never going to see anything. They were going to be stuck in this town until they died. They’d have one of those sleepy, unexciting lives that no one wrote books about and…

It was the life she’d always wanted but…

She glanced up at him through tears.

“I’m…we…” There was no easy way to put it so she held up the small stick she’d been clutching. “I don’t have the flu,” she whispered, scared out of her wits. Would this be what made him leave her? How was she supposed to do this at all, let alone on her own? She didn’t know anything about being a mother or babies or how to have a family. The only thing she understood was loss.

Tristan knelt in front of her and cupped her cheek with his right hand.

“Are you sure?”

She nodded numbly, trying not to let herself feel. She couldn’t bear to let him see her crying, not now.

“I understand if you don-“

She opened her eyes wide in surprise as he kissed her. She could feel his lips curl into a smile against hers and she sighed into his mouth as relief washed over her. He pulled away a moment later, beaming.

“I love you.”

“You’re not…you’re okay with this?”

“Why wouldn’t I be, my sweet little bird?”

“Because birds were meant to fly…why else would they have wings?”

He shook his head and pressed his lips to hers once more.

“They also nest…the one thing neither of us has ever had is a real family. How could this not be what I want, my love?”

She smiled through her tears.

“What about our adventures?”

“This will be an adventure; we’ll make sure of it.”

A small sob escaped her chest as she threw her arms around him. He held her tightly and they held one another without speaking for what felt like hours.

“What do we do now?” She whispered.

“Get married, I sup-“

She blushed.

“No, I mean…there are preparations to make, people to tell or not tell…”

He took her face in his hands.

“We’ll figure it out, step-by-step. Don’t you worry, sparrow.”

“There it is again.”

He smirked.

“You avoided my question.”

“What question?”

“About marriage.”

“I don’t recall there being a question.”

Excitement stirred in her chest. He was going to see this through. They were going to be a family. There would finally be someone who truly belonged to her, someone who would love her unconditionally, someone for her to protect. She didn’t even care if they got married or not, she was going to be a mother and she was going to be the best mother she could be, not matter what happened.


	5. Bonding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yvie adjusts to this whole pregnancy thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [cackles]

“Is she sleeping?” Yvie asked, worried. There had been no time to share her joyous news with her friends. She’d debated waiting, but she was further along than she expected and she saw no harm in telling anyone, expect for the whole matter of her friend being accused of murder. She thought it best to save the news for a happier time, when this mess was settled and everyone could enjoy it.

“No, she’s worried and trying to work herself to an early grave,” August muttered as he stirred a pot of cocoa. Yvie placed a hand on his arm before moving to check on Emma who was poring over case files. She’d just returned from visiting Mary Margaret. She refused to believe Mary Margaret could be guilty of such a crime, something Emma shared. Poor Emma was obsessed with this case and for whatever reason, Mary Margaret had lost faith in her roommate and it broke Yvie’s heart. If only she knew what Emma was putting herself through…

_“Is my mom going to be alright?” Henry asked. Yvie glanced up and looked at Regina from across the room._

_“She looks fine to me, Henry.”_

_“No…I mean…”_

_“Oh!”_

_Yvie shifted in her chair awkwardly._

_“Emma is…working very hard,” she answered lamely._

_“Miss Blanchard didn’t do it.”_

_“I know, Henry.”_

_“It’s her fault,” he whispered as he glanced over to the woman who had raised him. Yvie wanted to tell him he was wrong, that his mother would never, but she couldn’t bring herself to lie to him. She didn’t know how or why, but she believed Emma when she insisted Regina was behind this. She gazed down at the young boy and saw much more pain in his eyes than he deserved to bear._

_She leaned over and gave him a small hug. It was the only thing she could offer him._

“Henry is worried about you, in fact, we all are. Why don’t you take a break? I made meatloaf-“

“I can’t.”

“Emma, you need to eat something,” August whispered weakly from the kitchen. She looked up and took notice of him, almost as if she’d forgotten he existed. Yvie could see the pain on his features and she suddenly wished she could disappear.

“Later,” she promised before returning to her work. He sighed and Yvie knew it was time for her to go.

“I’ll send something over,” she whispered to August as she left.

“Thank you, but don’t bother. The fridge is crammed with things she’s refused to eat. Don’t go through the trouble.”

Her heart was breaking all over the place today.

_“I can do this, can’t I?” She whispered as she bounced Alexandra in her arms. Tristan rested his chin on her shoulder as he gazed down at the adorable, tiny bundle._

_“I never doubted you could, sparrow.”_

_“What are you two doing?” She glanced up as Tristan returned to the woodpile on the floor of their loft. August was hard at work at something while Tristan tried and failed to assist him._

_“We’re building a crib,” August answered with a screwdriver in his mouth._

_“You tol-“_

_“Don’t worry; my mate here can keep a secret!” He clapped August on the back before sitting back on the floor. “He carved this all himself, a secret carpenter we have here. Now I know what he did in his past life.”_

_August chuckled._

_“You have no idea.”_

_She cocked her head to the side and struggled to recall a memory. When it did not come she shrugged it off and gave August a smile._

_“Thank you, August. You didn’t have to do this.”_

_“I like making things, besides, I needed the distraction.”_

“I don’t think you should be here.”

Yvie rolled her eyes. She appreciated how into this father thing he was and his overprotectiveness was cute but what did he think was going to happen to her with him standing less than two feet away from her?

“No one’s even here, calm down, besides, I was bored at home. I have one friend in jail, three working to help her, and one with a child. You’re my entertainment. I don’t know why you have to work, it’s always slow during the week. Can’t Jefferson handle it or close the bar?” She whined.

Tristan gave her his insufferable ‘sparrow, please’ look before shaking his head.

“We can’t close because the poor souls in this town need a place to escape their problems. And you should be glad Jefferson leaves the bar to me aside from handling the books because it’s what helps pays the rent and in case you’ve forgotten, we have a little one on the way,” he teased before reaching out to rub her expanding uterus.

She rolled her eyes again. The whole people touching her because a baby was growing inside of her thing was growing old before it’d even begun.

“How are we going to do this? We’re barely making ends meet now-“ He cut her off with a kiss and she groaned in frustration.

“Tristan-“

“We’ll figure it out.”

“That’s not an answer.”

“Baby, we’ve got love, what else do we need?”

She scoffed loudly before hopping down from her bar stool.

“I’m going to say ‘hello’ to Jefferson.”

_“What’s his story?”_

_“What do you mean?”_

_“He looks so…sad all of the time.” Yvie watched Jefferson with a frown. There was so much hidden pain there and she wondered if that was why he kept his distance from Belle despite the fact that she clearly had feelings for him._

_“Dead wife,” Tristan muttered._

_Yvaine scrunched up her nose._

_“I don’t remember him ever having one…he’s our age, I think I’d remember something like that…” There were many things she didn’t remember fully, things that were fuzzy, and dreams she’d had that felt much more real than the faded memories she held._

_Tristan shrugged._

_“I don’t know, it’s just…something I know….”_

_Sometimes she wondered if Henry’s fantasies about another land were more than just that._

“To Mary Margaret!” Emma cried.

“Cheers!”

“Hey, that better be cider, kid-“

“Don’t worry, August gave me apple juice.”

August gave Emma a wink and she smirked. She moved towards him, as if to kiss him, but stopped herself. Oh, so they were still playing that game, were they? Someone needed to send August’s shirt the message, because that was a post-sex look if she’d ever seen one. She and Henry shared a look and Yvie realized the only people they were fooling were themselves.

“I’ll take some of that, Henry,” she whispered, setting her champagne aside.

“Sure!” He beamed as he made himself busy getting her a glass.

“How is everything going by the way?” August whispered as he approached her from behind.

“Perfectly healthy-“

“Yvie, you need to have at least one sip, for good luck,” Ashley crowed as she inspected Yvie’s untouched glass.

“She’s fine,” August insisted.

Ashley rolled her eyes.

“August, I get you think of her like she’s your kid sister or something, but one drink isn’t going to kill her.”

“Ashley, leave it alone, will you? Besides, you look as though you’re drinking enough for the entire room.” Yvie shot Tristan a glare. Sure, Ashley partied too much, especially for a new mother, but she’d gotten pregnant too young and Sean was always working. The baby was important, but if Ashley wanted to enjoy herself from time to time she didn’t need to be shamed about it in public.

“Tristan,” Sean warned as he cradled the baby.

Ruby rolled her eyes and stood.

“Enough, this is a celebration, remember?” She froze for a brief moment, as if sensing something. She turned to Yvie and watched her before shaking it off. “Here, Yvie, I’ll drink it for you.”

She couldn’t place her finger on it but Ruby was a whole new person. It was as if overnight her friend had grown up and it was…different. Different but nice.

“Here,” she handed it over and Ruby gave her a small, knowing smile.

How did she…

“We should go home,” Sean hissed.

“Why? So I can sit at home bored some more? Take my advice, Yvie, children are wonderful, but don’t let this one knock you up,” she slurred, pointing towards Tristan, “it’s not worth it.”

Yvie knew she didn’t mean it but that didn’t stop the awkward silence in the room from happening. Tristan gave her a small look as if to apologize while August gave her shoulder a small squeeze. She glanced up to find Victor watching her, worry lining his features, while Ruby held her breath.

“Oh my God,” Emma whispered, catching on.

“What?” Henry asked, confused.

“I’ll tell you later, kiddo,” August muttered as he gently ruffled his hair. He gave Yvie an ‘I’m sorry’ look. She shrugged, knowing it had to come out sooner or later. She gave him a smile, having missed having a big brother type around.

“Yvie? Tris?” Mary Margaret watched them with her hands clasped in anticipation. Tristan grabbed her hand and she clutched it, wishing hers wasn’t so sweaty from nerves.

“Um…surprise?” Yvie answered. They were planning on telling them all soon, just not on Mary Margaret’s big night. Mary Margaret clapped her hands together before throwing her arms around them both.

“I’m so happy for you!”

As were all of their friends, it turned out, even Ashley, who admitted maybe she should drink less before allowing Sean to take her home while Ruby and Victor helped with the baby.

For the first time in her memory, she felt like part of a real family and it had nothing to do with the family she was creating.

_“Don’t cry,” he whispered as he kissed her shoulder. She buried her face against his warm chest and hiccupped. She felt guilty, for a lot of reasons. For allowing herself to love him, for leaving Phillip on their wedding day only to betray him, and for what she was about to do. Maleficent had taken her family from her, she could not allow her to take her Kingdom as well, but in return she’d been forced to give up the man-no, men-that she loved._

“You’re crying,” Tristan whispered as he buried his face in her hair.

“It’s nothing, just a bad dream,” she whispered, wondering if they’d met before, in another life.


	6. Breath of Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma breaks the curse and all hell breaks loose, mostly because Killian Jones is a whiny, jerkass pirate who needs to be punched in the face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [hands out tissues and booze]

_“Any regrets?”_

_She should have regrets. Bedding Phillip the night before their wedding while knowing she planned to abandon him at the altar to fulfill her deal with Maleficent and face her own death, hiring a pirate to take her on the run from her kingdom, instead of trusting her best friend to lead her through the treacherous forest that surrounded the Forbidden Mountains holding the Dark Castle, and for her biggest sin; falling in love with someone who wasn’t Phillip. But as she glanced down at their joined hands splayed over her middle while he drew small circles on her side with his limb she couldn’t find it in her to care about guilt or regrets. There would be time for that when she was gone from this world._

_She reached up and took his scruffy face in her hand before giving him a smile._

_“No, Killian. No regrets. Not now, not ever.”_

“I don’t know if I should leave…”

Henry wasn’t even her child and this was one of the most terrifying days or her life. She couldn’t even being to imagine what poor Emma was going through. She’d been in with Victor for a check-up when a screaming Emma had come in with Henry. Victor claimed not to know what was wrong but as Emma screeched about an apple turnover, Yvie just knew he’d been poisoned and well…

No, it was horrible to even think it.

She’d sent Tristan to find August. She didn’t care why he and Emma were fighting; she needed him here for this.

“I’ll be with her. Thank you for calling me.”

“Of course, you’re her family,” Yvie whispered as she gave Mary Margaret’s hand a squeeze. She knew Emma was probably best left alone, especially after she’d punched Regina, but Yvie couldn’t just leave without saying good-bye. She watched as Emma clutched Henry’s hands and silently cried over him and her eyes welled up with tears once more.

Emma’s love for Henry terrified her. She’d watched her friend slowly and reluctantly fall in love with her son and if Emma could love Henry so fiercely after being separated from him for so long, what would it be like for her? Would it be instant? The moment she held the tiny life she and Tristan had created in her arms? Or even sooner?

Yvie placed a hand over the small bump and realized she already loved the baby growing inside of her and there had never been a time in Henry’s life that Emma didn’t love him; she’d just tried her best to forget him.

She reached out and placed a hand on Emma’s shoulder before giving it a squeeze. She tried and failed to hide the emotion from her voice when she spoke.

“Emma…I’ll be back later…with…” her voice broke and she cleared her throat. “I’ll find August for you and Mother Superior and I will pray for him. He’s…he _has_ to be okay.”

Emma shook her head.

“No, I’ll…” she glanced up and glared at Regina through the glass. “Stay here, please? Until she leaves?” She met Yvie’s eyes and Yvie understood; Emma didn’t trust her alone with Henry. She nodded as Emma pressed a kiss to Henry’s forehead and stood. “I’m going to see August and then…” She took notice of Mary Margaret and somehow her face fell even more. She hesitated for a moment before hugging her roommate tightly. “If anything happens, take care of him.”

“Emma, what-“

“Bye,” she said quickly before rushing out of the room.

“Should we follow-“

“No, Henry comes first,” Yvie whispered before running her hand over his forehead. She stared down at him as dread filled her.

_“You can’t do this!”_

_Killian watched her in despair as Maleficent’s magic roared, bringing a storm upon them. She refused to turn back now. They’d made a deal; her life for her kingdom’s safety. She refused to go back on it now. She wouldn’t cower away from it for Phillip and she wouldn’t do it for him either._

_“It’s already too late, Killian!” He rushed toward her, as if he could stop her, but slammed into a protective shield. “Go, now, before she comes after you,” she called out sadly before turning to the palace. She caught sight of her family’s oldest foe in the window the tallest tower and bit down any lingering fears or doubts._

_“’Rora…I love you!”_

_She turned with a frown._

_“I love you, too,” she replied, as if saying good-bye._

Yvie stepped onto the asphalt to cross the street when her chest tightened and her head began to spin.

_“I told you not to come for me.”_

_Aurora opened her eyes and was surprised to find Phillip smiling over her. It took only a moment for the disappointment to fade; who else would it be? They’d been betrothed since they were children, always close friends, and each other’s first love. They would be married now had she not left. She fought off images from the terrors she’d been subjected to whilst under Maleficent’s curse, thankful she hadn’t been put to death. To most, her curse would be worse than death, but Aurora was already looking forward to a new life; one filled with children and a happy, thriving kingdom._

_“It worked,” Mulan whispered. Aurora sat up quickly to find that her friend was not the only one by her side in her tomb. Killian watched her, in more pain than she’d ever seen any man endure, and nodded._

_“Welcome back, princess.”_

Memories rushed through her. So many she could no longer keep them straight. Memories of her real life, as Aurora, fake memories planted by Regina, the new memories she’d made on her own and then after Emma’s arrival, and the ones that had plagued her under her curse.

They were far too much for any one person to handle.

Aurora fell to her knees and buried her head in her hands while crying out in pain. For a brief flicker of a moment she was back in that fiery hell and every painful moment from both of her lives burned through her veins and she felt as though she could die.

And then everything went black.

_“Please, don’t go!”_

_Aurora chased after him, clutching her skirts as she went. She didn’t know what she’d say to him, but she couldn’t let him go. Not like this. She loved him, even if she did also love Phillip. They’d find some way to work this out, if he’d allow it._

_“Go back to your true love, princess! I have a ship to return to, you’ll only slow me down.”_

Aurora watched Granny and Ruby talk to Victor through the doors as she toyed with the needle in her arm. She disliked hospitals, mostly because she’d spent a portion of her life stuck under a sleeping curse and somehow hospitals brought up those lingering feelings. Of course, until about half an hour ago when Ruby and Granny had found her passed out on the street, she hadn’t known what those feelings meant.

She furrowed her brows and pressed her fingers to her temples, trying to fight off an oncoming migraine. She knew fell well what it was to have two lives fighting for dominance; she’d already lived this once, but now with a third? It was disorienting to say the least.

_“Hello my little sparrow and lark,” Tristan whispered as he pressed a kiss to Yvie’s belly. She whined, having been peacefully asleep for once._

_“What?”_

_“She’s my little sparrow and you’ve always been my lark, love,” he replied as he pressed a kiss to her lips. She smirked. He was such an idiot and she loved him for it._

“Aurora?”

She glanced over to find Henry watching her from his bed. So, he’d made it? She gave him a big smile before sitting up.

“How did you know?”

“Because, you were raised by the nuns. They’re your fairy godmothers, like in my book.” He pointed to where it lay on his bedside table.

“Well, you’re much smarter than anyone gives you credit for, aren’t you?”

He nodded sadly and she realized…

_Regina._

“Henry, the curse-“

“My mom broke it. She’s the savior.”

Aurora smiled. Of course she was. Emma…she’d been there when Snow had picked the name out. And August…she smirked. They’d deal with that later.

“I know, Henry, but that’s not what I meant. Before, you weren’t poisoned, were you? Regina put you under the sleeping curse, didn’t she?”    

He nodded.

“She was trying…I think she was trying to kill my mom.”

“Henry-“

“Don’t, she’s the Evil Queen. She cursed everyone…” Henry stared down at his sheets, fighting off tears. Aurora wished the beds weren’t so far away.

“Henry, it’s okay to still love her.”

He looked up defiantly and she saw nothing but Emma in the boy.

“Where’s my grandma? She was here with you; I heard her reading, when I was in the fire room.”

Aurora’s heart clenched. No one needed to join she and Snow in their shared dreams, especially not Henry. He was an innocent child. He deserved so much more than all of this. If Emma didn’t kill Regina, Aurora just might.

“We stayed with you all night, Henry, while Emma was off…well, I’m not quite sure what she was doing, but it clearly was something to help save you. The staff made us go home so we could get some sleep and that’s when the curse…” She looked around and realized they were alone. “Where’s Emma?”

How had she broken the curse and saved Henry? Why wasn’t she here with him now?

“True love’s kiss. That’s how she broke the curse and saved me,” Henry said happily. Of course, it would be something so simple and yet so difficult to attain. “After Regina rushed off, she said she had to go save August.”

“What do you mean save him? What’s wrong with my Pinocchio?”

What was wrong with her precious Pinocchio? She’d figured it out, how could she not? She’d grown quite attached to the boy during the war council meetings. Always there with his father, carving beautiful things for Emma’s arrival and bringing joy to their chaotic lives, especially hers. She’d needed joy in that time, when things were so uncertain and confusing. She was glad he and Emma had found one another, but now she was worried again.

_“And what is this, darling?” Aurora asked as she knelt beside Pinocchio. She straightened the little red hat Granny had made him before returning her attention to his carving._

_“It’s a swan,” he replied shyly._

_“It’s for Emma, to match her blanket,” Red replied with a smirk from his other side. It was such a silly thing, but none of the women on the council could resist showering the boy with attention. Snow would be the first to become a mother and he was the only child they were around regularly. Of course his adorableness didn’t help. He was such a soft-spoken, shy thing, always afraid of setting off The Blue Fairy and being turned back to wood. Aurora mentally glared at the fairy. No child this precious should live in fear, especially not when the expectations she held him to were impossible to attain._

_“You’ve been making the baby princess a lot of gifts, Pinocchio. Tell me, when Mulan has her baby will he or she also receive gifts, or are your talents only reserved for you future wife?”_

_Pinocchio blushed._

_“I’m not fit enough for a princess, your majesty.”_

_Red gave Aurora a smile and she shook her head. Red’s favorite pastime was tormenting the poor lad who had once had a wee crush on her. He didn’t need more of it now._

_Aurora pressed a kiss to his cheek before slipping a piece of chocolate into his palm._

_“Don’t worry, Pinocchio, I’ll marry your papa and adopt you so you can be my little prince if it suits you, just to make sure you get your happy ending with our princess. She’ll be the first after all, unless Alexandra gets here first, then they’ll have to fight for you.”_

“He’s Pinocchio! And he was turning back into wood and dying…” He looked up at her with big eyes and sniffled. “She’ll be able to save him, right?”

Aurora had no words. She didn’t even know how Pinocchio had come to be in this world, other than by some twist of fate to reunite him with Emma. She and Snow had planned their entire lives out: Emma and Pinocchio would grow up together since Geppetto was the official carpenter for the castle, fall in love, and then make babies. And those babies would make babies with her grandchildren and they’d really be family.

She desperately wanted to believe August was somehow Henry’s father, she refused to believe there could have ever been a reality where he was not meant to come into being, but even she didn’t believe in fairy tales that came with neatly wrapped happy endings. She’d become jaded along her journey in life.

“Henry,” she began, knowing Emma had gone to August last night. If she hadn’t saved him then…

“Henry!”

Snow ran into the room, followed by Charming, and threw her arms around Henry.

“Grandma?”

“Yes! Yes, baby,” she cried, hugging him tighter. “You’re okay, I was so scared.”

“Where’s my mom?”

She glanced back at Charming and his expression told her everything she needed to know. Aurora motioned for Victor and pushed herself out of bed.

“I’ll leave you all alone-“

“Oh, ‘Rora! What happened? Is the baby okay?”

“Baby?” Charming stammered.

“Everything’s fine, she got a little shock when the curse broke. Come, ‘Rora, Granny and Ruby want to see you.”

“Ruby-“ Snow looked between Ruby out in the hall and Henry and of course Henry won.

Victor helped Aurora into a wheelchair before wheeling her out of the room. The door closed behind them just as Henry began to wail. She closed her eyes and fought back a small sob. Poor Pinocchio…hell, poor Emma.

“What’s wrong, ‘Rora?” Ruby-no, Red, knelt before her and took her hands. Aurora shook her head and let the tears fall. It was so horrible she couldn’t even say it aloud.

“Regina is going to pay for this,” was all she could muster.

“Damn right she is,” Granny muttered as she took out her knitting needles. Aurora, Red, and Victor all exchanged worried glances. “I need to go back to the diner; you all collect yourselves and be there in an hour. We need to have a council meeting to figure out what we’re going to do about the mayor.”

Ruby gaped at her grandmother for a moment but let her go. They all knew better than to question the old woman.

Victor reached for Ruby’s hand after a moment before pulling back and cleared his throat.

“Ah…Ruby…Red…can we-“

She rolled her eyes before grabbing him by the collar and pulling his lips against hers.

“Ruby is fine; I never really liked Red anyway. Now, come on Dr. Frankenstein, we have things to discuss in your office.”

“Be safe, pregnancy is contagious,” Aurora warned. Ruby gave her a small glare as she took Victor’s hand and led him towards his office.

“We’ll be back in five minutes.”

Aurora snorted. Five minutes her arse. There wasn’t anything worth doing in five minutes.

“Rose!”

She wheeled herself around to find Phillip rushing towards her. She smiled and stood, making sure she really was fine before meeting him halfway and throwing her arms around him.

“Phillip!”

They’d been together when the curse hit. He’d tried to choose between her and Mulan and she’d refused to let him. Sure, Killian had abandoned her, too brokenhearted to bear to see her go back to Phillip, but that didn’t mean Phillip and Mulan had to be unhappy. She knew there was no choice for her, she’d become a different woman after leaving her kingdom. She was not the girl who had fallen in love with Phillip and even though Killian would never know where her heart truly lay, the two others she loved most would and she would watch them being happy together.

But she’d never gotten to tell them because the curse had come.

Aurora had never hated anyone in her entire life, even Maleficent, but she hated Regina. Hate was a dark, ugly emotion and she only hated Regina more for making her feel it.

Tears filled her eyes once more as she recalled all that she and Phillip had been through; in their real life, their fake one, and the false one they’d lived these past three decades. She squeezed him tightly as it hit her that he was here while Killian was nowhere to be found.

Perhaps she had made a mistake in following her heart.

It was then that she was reminded of the life growing inside of her and guilt consumed her.

She was a horrible person.

“Rose, I’m so sorry. I would never have done those things to you-“

“Oh Phillip, don’t be ridiculous, those were all fake memories. That wasn’t you.”

He sniffled and she realized he was crying as well.

“I should have known…oh, love, we’ll never be separated again.” She pulled away and wiped her eyes quickly before shaking her head.

“Phillip, there’s something I need to tell you-“

“Aurora?”

“Mulan!” Aurora threw her arms around her and sobbed. The one thing she’d missed the most these past twenty-eight years had been her best friend. She hated Regina for ripping them apart. The person she loved more than any man was Mulan. She was willing to give up her own happiness to ensure her friend got hers. And while Aurora’s love for her unborn child had surpassed the love she had for her friend, she still loved her only second best to her child.

Speaking of children…

Aurora pulled away and rested her hand on Mulan’s tear-stained cheek.

“I take comfort in knowing that even when Regina kept us apart we still proved to be far too alike for our own good.”

“What?”

“Mulan, how far along are you?”

Mulan gazed down and her cheeks went red.

“Aurora, I’m sorry, we thought you were dead-“

“That’s what I thought. Don’t worry, Mulan, you’re not alone.”

“Aurora, you’re too good of a friend-“

“No. I mean, yes, I will be here for you, but…” She sighed and reached for Phillip’s hand. She held their hands in hers while she worked up her courage. She was surprised everyone in town didn’t already know; clearly she didn’t give her friends enough credit.

“You’re not the only one having a baby.”

Phillip stared down and realized Mulan was far more pregnant than Aurora was and his face fell.

“Hook?”

“Well…technically Tristan, but yes.” She hadn’t been pregnant all of these years, like her poor Cinderella who hadn’t been able to give birth until Emma returned and time began to move forward again, or like her dearest Mulan. However, her baby had been conceived in love. It was the one thing she couldn’t blame Regina for; she’d truly loved Killian and Yvie had truly loved Tristan and she loved their baby and it didn’t matter to her how it came into being.

However, she could blame her for other things; like killing Graham. She was sure now that she’d killed him. She’d taken his heart back in their home and…

Oh God, that’s how she’d killed him, wasn’t it?

“Rose, what’s wrong?”

“Graham.”

Phillip’s face fell as he was reminded that his brother was gone.

“Regina killed him…”

“Rose…”

“No! He saved Snow! And she took his heart to punish him! That’s why I didn’t go to him when I left! Because she controlled him! And he was behaving so strangely before he died…I think he was remembering, because of Emma. Sometimes, after I was with her…I think I was trying to remember as well. I had dreams that were really memories. And if Regina kept his heart all that time…”

“She could have crushed it when she realized he was remembering,” Mulan whispered, catching on.

She nodded. Aurora turned to Phillip. She could feel his rage but he had always excelled in keeping his emotions under control.

“She will be dealt with,” he replied calmly.

“Phillip...” Mulan reached for his hand but he stepped away from her, needing a moment. Aurora took hold of Mulan’s hand before wrapping an arm around her. Mulan hugged her around the middle tightly. A minute later, after composing himself, Phillip wrapped his arms around the pair before pressing a kiss to the top of each of their heads.

“Don’t worry. We’ve always stuck together and that’s not going to change.”

“I need to find Killian,” Aurora whispered as she tried to pull away.

“Why?”

“Phillip, don’t start.”

“No, Rose. Where is he? Honestly. The moment the curse broke we came to find you. That’s what you do when it’s someone you love. He’s nowhere to be found-“

“Where is she? ‘Rora Jones-I mean, Yvain-“ He stammered for a moment. “Queen Aurora! Beautiful, yay high, pregnant?” She turned to find Killian, her Killian, very much behaving like himself again and yelling at a poor, frazzled nurse. He looked completely harried, with messy hair, his face flushed, and nearly out of breath.

“Killian?” She called weakly.

He turned and a look of relief crossed his features. He rushed towards her.

“There you are. I looked everywhere, I was worried sick, and then Victor called me and then I was even more-are you oka-“ He froze and noticed Phillip’s arm still around her. Aurora pulled away from him quickly, knowing that look. Killian was about to overreact.

“We’re fine-“

“You look fine.”

_“You’re being ridiculous!”_

_“No,” he whispered before turning to her. She stood on the dock, freezing in her dress, while he watched her from the ship._

_“From the moment I met you I knew you’d leave me. Just like my mother, like my father, Liam, Bae, and Milha. I just didn’t expect to lose you twice.”_

He had that same, broken, pouty look on his face. He didn’t even speak, he turned and walked away from her, like he had once before, and it wasn’t any less painful. Only this time, she wasn’t going to let him go alone. She refused to lose this fight.

“Killian Jones, don’t you dare walk away from me!” She commanded as he disappeared around the corner. She shoved Phillip away, annoyed that even though he belonged to another woman, he was still trying to control her. She wasn’t some bird with broken wings; she could take care of her damn self.

She stormed toward the elevator, determined to stop him before he got on. The doors were halfway closed when she reached them.

“You stop right now you stubborn Irish jackass pirat-“ Aurora clutched her middle as pain shot through her. Fear plagued her for a moment before she realized it was nothing more than a cramp but it was too late; he was gone. A familiar ache filled her heart as she let Phillip help her into a chair. She was too broken to care; memories of the first time he’d left flooded her and she realized this was her curse, to keep losing the ones she loved.


	7. Something like a Happy Ending

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The happy endings returning are what was supposed to happen when Emma broke that curse, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seriously though, Killian Jones is a jerkass, smug asshole pirate who needs to be kneed in the gnads. Also, I really wasn’t lying when I said I tried to get a little something in it for everyone.

“Killian?” Aurora called timidly as she entered the loft. She had to admit, she missed Tristan. Killian was a man-child, with a quick temper and an ever changing mood, and she’d miss the calm of his cursed persona. But Killian wasn’t all bad; she’d fallen in love with him for a reason. He could be kind when he wanted to, he was passionate, and he didn’t hide how he felt. Loving him was an adventure in itself.

He’d never believed he deserved her, especially not with Phillip around. It was why he’d run from her in their home land and why he’d done it today. She hoped that he just needed some time to get his head straight, but she wasn’t going to get her hopes up.

“His things are still here,” Mulan whispered, trying to be encouraging.

“Right,” she whispered, knowing full well that a pirate didn’t need anything but his ship to survive.

_“And this little birdie went to the market-“ Yvie giggled as Tristan made one of her bird figurines hop over her belly._

_“It’s piggy-that tickles!” He pressed his face against her side, grazing her skin with his beard. She squirmed and shoved him away with a pout._

_“We could do it, you know?”_

_“What,” she asked, already knowing where he was going with this. They had this conversation at least once a day, but they never did anything but talk._

_“Fix up my old boat, pack a bag, and fly away from here.”_

_“And what would we do?”_

_“Who cares as long as we’re together?”_

Aurora trudged into Granny’s, feeling miserable. She knew the war council needed to meet but her heart wasn’t in it. She was ready to execute Regina and be done with it. What did it matter anyway? The damage was done. Their home was destroyed, they were stuck in this land with no magic, no way to go home, and would be forced to return to their boring lives.

She frowned and placed a hand over the baby protectively. At least she wouldn’t be alone.

“Aurora, darling! Oh, look Flora, it’s her!” Three pairs of arms engulfed her and Aurora hugged her godmothers back fiercely. She felt horrible. She hadn’t been to see the nuns in weeks. Even in this life they’d been here to take care of her.

“Oh, I’ve missed you,” she said before spotting a familiar face over their shoulders.

“You’re alive!” She beamed.

August pulled away from Emma long enough to give her a quick hello but then her lips were immediately on his again. Aurora bit her lip to keep from laughing. Henry sat squished between them while their families and the entire council tried to ignore them.

“I’m so sorry I didn’t believe you-“

“No, I’m sorry I left in the first plac-“

“You were like five, August, you can’t really-“

Aurora took a seat awkwardly as they kept conversing in between kisses.

“I’m sorry I gave Henry-“

“You wouldn’t have had to give him up if I hadn’t been such a disap-“

“I was the one who got scared and ran off and got myself arrest-“

“Only because I scared you with all of the fairytale talk. And if I’d just gotten you out of jail sooner-”

Charming scowled at the two of them with his arms crossed before rolling his eyes. Henry sat between his parents with a pout until Emma kissed the top of his head and gave him an ‘I’m sorry’ and he grinned smugly.

There it was; what had made August familiar to her in the first place. That damn smug look he and Henry both shared. She shook her head. The men in her life were all smug assholes sometimes.

“They’ve been at this since they got here. All I’ve been able to gather is Geppetto made a deal with Blue to save Pinocchio. Pinocchio got scared and left Emma as a baby and then spent years trying to find her. They had a one-night stand that involved alcohol, obviously, and when he found out it was her he freaked out and spilled the whole ‘you’re the savior’ news very unsmoothly and scared her off. And I think they tried to get Henry back, but it’s very fuzzy because they can’t stop sucking faces. I’m assuming Regina was involved in some sort of magical fuckery because they both forgot all of that until she kissed him back to life,” Ruby muttered while shaking her head. “Our lives are so weird.”

Aurora couldn’t argue with that.

“How scandalous, Fauna!” Flora cried.

Aurora shook her head and turned to find Snow and Geppetto clutching hands while watching their children lovingly. Charming could pout all he wanted, August had Snow’s approval.

“Stop hogging him!”

“He’s my son too and you’ve had more time with him!”

Aurora covered her mouth to laugh. Now they were having a hug war over Henry. Merryweather pressed a kiss to her temple and Aurora leaned into her, allowing her to hold her.  Nothing would ever come close to having her parents back, but this was good enough.

“We have time for this later!” Granny barked, but Aurora could see she was amused.

“Right, Regina…” Emma sighed as she handed Henry back over to August who gave him a tight squeeze and didn’t release him. “Look, I know everyone wants to just go after her with pitchforks but she’s still Henry’s mom. Maybe she wasn’t the best and he may be angry with her now but I don’t want her harmed. I’m never letting anything hurt him again,” she said before turning to him and taking his hand.

Aurora had seen Henry earlier, how hurt he’d been and how much he wanted to hate Regina, but he looked relieved. Granny rolled her eyes.

“So what should we do?”

“Punish her and Rumpelstiltskin.” Everyone turned to Belle who looked completely dejected. She had no argument for that one. “He helped her. Regina’s powerful but not powerful enough to create this curse. She had help,” Snow interjected.

“She’s right. Rumpelstiltskin did create the curse,” The Blue Fairy added.

Aurora tuned out the moment the bell above the entrance chimed. She turned her head slightly to find her cocky, leather clad pirate leaning against the wall and watching her through sad eyes. She gave him a small smile.

This time, he’d come back on his own.

_Aurora’s hair whipped in the wind as she watched his ship disappear into the horizon._

“You shouldn’t have run after me…I felt like a jackass. You could have hurt the baby.” Aurora sighed as she watched him pout with his hands in his pocket, like a hurt puppy. This was Killian Jones all right; throw a temper tantrum before coming running back with no apologies, just sad eyes expecting to be forgiven.

Idiot.

“She’s fine.”

He looked up with wide eyes.

“She?”

“Sorry, I was going to wait to tell you but I never know when you’re going to run off in a fit.”

“Sparrow, I’m sorry-“

“Stop it. Look, I love you, but we’re having a baby. One child is all I can handle. I need to know you’re with me on-“

He cut her off with a kiss and she wrapped her arms around him in resignation.

“Killian-“

“No. I know I’m…I love you and I want to be the man I was this morning, before the curse broke. He was good enough for you. I know you love me, but ‘Rora, why would you settle for me when you have Phillip? He’s your True Love. I know you’re going to say it doesn’t matter to you, but it matters to me. I loved Milha, so much that until I met you, I forgot how to live, and I don’t want to rob you of the man you were going to marry just because I got you pregnant while we were under some curse.”

“Killian, do you think I only think I love you because Yvaine loved Tristan?”

“Isn’t he right?”

She turned to find Phillip watching them and she regretted doing this out in the open. She should have told him everything earlier. She released Killian and motioned to one of the tables outside of the diner. She waited until they both stubbornly took a seat before joining them.

Boy, did she have a type.

“Phillip…I’m sorry I walked out on you but my kingdom had to come first. The moment I was coronated as queen you knew that. And I did love you. So much I threw away my virtue before our wedding to make sure I didn’t leave this world without being with you. And I still do, but when I set out with Killian, I fell in love with him. And I hated myself for it, so much that I punished myself for it while I was under the curse. And when I woke from it…Phillip before we were brought here I was going to tell you that I was going to go after Killian, to bring him back so I could be with him. I don’t love him because of this curse, I already loved him. I’m sorry.”

“But Rose, I kissed you awak-“

“No, you didn’t,” Aurora insisted.

“Yes, he did, I watched him,” Killian replied miserably. “You can ask the warrior girl if you don’t believe me.”

“While True Love’s kiss may break most curses, that’s not the only way. My agreement with Maleficent was this: I give up my kingdom and Phillip and go under the curse and she wouldn’t kill my people. And the only way to break the curse was through an _act_ of True Love. Nothing so simple as a kiss, I’m afraid.”

“I don’t get it.”

Aurora sighed and reached over to take his hand with a small smile.

“Oh, Killian. It’s how I knew that no matter how torn I was I had to be with you. Tell me, how did Phillip find me? Even with Mulan’s help, he could have never made the journey.”

“He found us and brought us to you,” Phillip admitted with a grimace.

She smiled.

“You see, Killian, when you were willing to give me up and let me be with Phillip, so I could be happy, you broke my curse. When Phillip kissed me, you stood by and watched him do it, a selfless act of True Love.”

“The only selfless thing I’d ever done, love, and I’d do it again if it meant saving you.”

She smiled and leaned in to kiss him.

“But…” Phillip began.

“Shut up, Phillip. Even if it wasn’t True Love, I’d still pick him,” she said as she watched Killian with a smile. The woman she was now in this moment wanted to be with Killian Jones, even if he was a stubborn man-child. “Besides, Phillip, I know you and Mulan were together, before, when I was under the sleeping curse. You love each other. It’s okay. Just because we will always love one another doesn’t mean we have to be together. She’s having your child, what did you think, you were going to marry the both of us? And we’d raise our children together like a pair of sister wives?”

“That sounds like him. Stupid with a side of jackass.”

Aurora looked up to find Mulan watching Phillip with a frown.

“In a perfect world no one would have to be hurt, but it’s not,” Aurora reminded him.

“Do you love me?” Mulan asked, ignoring everyone but Phillip.

“Of course I do!” He stood and pulled her against him. “I would never have…how could you think I didn’t love you?”

“Then what the hell is your problem?” She asked as she pulled away from him. “I know that before you felt guilty, but look at her, she’s happy. And they’re having a child!”

“He’s a pirate-“

“Phillip,” the girls said together, annoyed.

“You’re telling me you actually love him?” Aurora nodded. “And you want to stay with him?” She sighed and rolled her eyes. She was so over this day. “And you do know, pirate, if you ever hurt her-“

“You’ll stick me with a sword?” Killian sassed.

“I will kill you.”

“Don’t worry, mate, I’d never leave my darling little bird,” Killian replied as he rubbed Aurora’s small baby-bump protectively. “Or our baby,” he added. Aurora resisted the urge to roll her eyes. How had she fallen in love with such a moron? He gave her a wink that sent a chill through her. Oh right, that face had something to do with it.

Phillip and groaned and made a face of protest. Mulan shot him an assertive glare and he sighed, defeated.

“As long as you’re happy…I guess I will have to settle for one wif-oww!”

Aurora was impressed. Almost as big as a house and Mulan could still make a grown man cry.

“Come here,” Aurora stood and pulled them both into her arms. “We’re still family, Phillip. I love you and Mulan and I’ll love your baby too. And in time I’m sure you and Killian will come to… _tolerate_ one another.”

“He’s an alright bloke, love. Why don’t we get us a bottle of rum and we can bond while you two lasses discuss diaper genies?”

Aurora ignored him.

“And who knows, Phillip, maybe our son and her daughter will-“

“Woah! No man is going near my lark!”

“Killian, please,” Aurora begged.

“I made her and I say she’s never leaving her papa.”

Phillip chuckled deviously.

“I’m going to be so amused in sixteen years,” he muttered.

Mulan and Aurora groaned in unison. They should have left these two children behind and run off together instead.


	8. Angels Were Given Wings to Fly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aurora gets that happily ever after, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HERE IS THE END! I hope you enjoy, my loves. Now let’s all sit back and laugh while Victoria cries over papa and lark.

Aurora hung the last ornament on the tree and inspected her work with a smile. She turned to find Killian pressed belly down on the floor, watching as Violet cooed in her sleep through her playpen. Beside her, baby Graham, named for his departed uncle, sat up chewing on a block.

“What are you doing?”

“Making sure he doesn’t put the moves on her.”

Aurora rolled her eyes.

“Don’t worry, Killian, unless he grows up to be a guitar playing bartender, she probably won’t let him into her pants.”

“Heh,” he chuckled, “that’s how I got you-wait a minute.” He shot her a glare and she smirked.

“What? Afraid of karma, love? Don’t worry, if it exists she’ll just run away with some pirate.”

Killian scowled and sat up. He reached into the pen and gave Graham a small pat on the head.

“I guess you’re all right, kid. But, remember, she belongs to me.”

Aurora sighed in annoyance but before she could become too cross with him Killian grasped her by the waist and pulled her into his lap as he took a seat on the couch. He nuzzled her neck for a moment before giving her a short kiss.

“What do you say tonight you come to bed in nothing but those knee socks you’re wearing and we make her a little sister,” he whispered before moving his lips down her neck and toward the small bit of exposed cleavage above her shirt. Aurora smirked and bit back a moan.

“How about we do all of that minus the whole baby thing? Let’s enjoy this one before we become the von Trapp family, okay?”

“But I told you, I want a whole nest filled with baby birds, ‘Rora,” he whined.

She smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck before kissing him firmly on the mouth.

“Soon. I want to make sure it’s what you want and not just because you’re bored or trying to outdo your friends.”

“But they all get new ones, ‘Rora, I want one too,” he teased and she playfully smacked him. “I mean it; I love her so much and I just want a dozen more, just like her.”

Aurora chuckled.

“That’s a bit much…Killian! There are children in the room!”

Good lord, once they’d gotten resettled in their lives he hadn’t been able to keep his hands off of her. Once she’d given birth he’d nearly had a heart attack when Victor told him no sex for a whole six weeks. She’d never seen him get so many songs written. She needed to withhold sex more often. Without sailing, running the bar with Jefferson and music was all he had outside of his family. She’d suggested he sail anyway, but he insisted that ‘paddling about the marina’ wasn’t the same as exploring the ‘vast, deadly sea and all of the realms’. They were still trying to find out how to get back home, if there was even a home to go back to, and he held onto the hope that someday he’d be able to take his girls on his ship and show them the world.

Aurora was perfectly fine with their life here, but she let him hold on to his dreams.

“But papa’s horny,” he whispered.

“Papa’s always horny,” she reminded him.

“That’s all because of you, sparrow,” he replied with a grin.

Aurora smirked against his lips as he leaned in for another kiss. A small cry interrupted their mini-make-out session. Aurora hopped off of his lap and lifted their tiny wonder from the pen as Killian gave in and picked up Phillip and Mulan’s ‘little scamp’ as he liked to call him.

She cradled their treasure against her chest with a smile. She’d endured a lot of darkness in her life but this tiny little ray of sunshine made it all worth it. Aurora had never loved anything or anyone so much in her entire life and she had Killian to thank for her.

“I love you.” Aurora glanced up to find him already watching them with a goofy smile on his lips.

“See those two girls, Graham, my boy? Those are the two most beautiful treasures in all the land. Angels they are, with golden wings crafted from love. Mere mortals like us aren’t worthy of such creatures but they don’t know that. That’s the secret to life, my boy. Never let them know you know how little you deserve them. Just treasure them and love them so much they never realize it.”

“You’re an idiot.”

“And you love me for it.”

“I do, so I guess that makes me an idiot too.”

“Nah, love, just too angelic to care.”

She smiled. This wasn’t they life any of them was meant to have. Their princess should have been raised in their palace, grown to become queen, and roamed the countryside, free to explore any realm she chose to. Their youngest daughters could go on to become pirate queens, marry princes, or become warriors. It didn’t matter, as long as they were happy. Being stuck in this world, unable to leave Storybrooke was definitely a curse, but thanks to Emma, they’d all somehow managed to find happiness within it. She had Killian and Violet, Emma had her boys and her parents, Belle was trying to have a life with Jefferson and Grace, and all of her other friends were together and in love and happy and all of the children being born now that time was moving forward again were healthy. It wasn’t what they wanted their life to be but to Aurora it was more than enough.

_“We can never leave, you know,” Aurora whispered as Killian stared at his ship with longing._

_“I know, but I miss the sea.”_

_She took hold of his arm and pressed a kiss to his cheek._

_“I know. Come,” she whispered, taking his hand and leading him towards the beach. “Someone’s waiting.”_

_“Papa! Come on! I want to fly!” Violet cried as she tried to get her kite in the air. Killian smiled and pressed his lips to Aurora’s temple before chasing after their tiny little lark. He got it into the air and she ran after it happily, squealing in delight as it moved through the breeze._

_Aurora followed with a small smile and wrapped her arms around her middle._

_“Killian?” She called; thinking now was the perfect time._

_“Yes, sparrow?”_

_He turned to her and for a moment all she could see was that romantic boy in the bar who would watch her lovingly from across the room, too noble to make a move._

_She blushed and ducked her head for a moment._

_“Let’s add a finch to our nest.”_

_“Are you trying to tell me something,” he asked hopefully._

_“Maybe I am,” she replied with a cheeky grin._

_Killian handed the reigns over to their princess before rushing towards her and lifting her into his arms. He kissed her in a way that was usually reserved for their bedroom and she was far too happy to care. She hugged him tightly while Violet made disgusted noises and told them to stop because she wanted all of their attention on her and for once, Aurora ignored her. She would need to get used to sharing anyway._

_“I love you, angel,” Killian whispered as he set her down._

_“I love you too, darling.”_


End file.
